Anti-twister for wire or tube stock machine



June 26, 1962 R. L. BRIGGS ANTI-TWISTER FOR WIRE OR TUBE STOCK MACHINE Filed Marqh 24, 1960 zgzdizzw United States Patent 3,040,946 ANTI-TWISTER FOR WIRE OR TUBE V STOCK MACHINE Rufus L. Briggs, Melrose, Mass., assignor to Electrarc, Inc., Boston, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Mar. 24, 1960, Ser. No. 17,354 6 Claims. (Cl. 226-180) Machines for operating on wire or tube stock often have a tendency to rotate the stock about its axis. For example in making shielded cable it is customary to form a tube around the cable and then continuously compress the tube against the cable by means of a rotating swaging tool which has the aforesaid tendency due to friction between the tool and shield. Such an example is disclosed in the application of Russell S. Donald, Ser. No. 681,661, filed September 3, 1957, now Patent No. 2,975,087.

Objects of the present invention are to produce a device to counteract said tendency which is simple and economical to produce, which is durable and reliable in use and which can be adjusted quickly and easily to produce the desired degree of counteraction.

According to this invention the device comprises rollers on opposite sides of the path of the stock for pinching the stock therebetween, the axis of the stock and the centers of the rollers being disposed approximately in the same plane, the rollers being tangential to the stock but having their axes tipped in opposite directions relatively to the plane so as to tend to rotate the stock about its axis. The device also comprises means for yieldingly pressing the rollers against opposite sides of the stock and means for tipping the axes of the rollers equally but in opposite directions relatively to the aforesaid plane. In the preferred embodiment the tipping means comprism cam surfaces on the roller supports and an actuator movable transversely of the aforesaid plane.

For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view;

FIG. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the twisting device;

FIG. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a view like FIG. 5 showing the rollers tipped.

The invention is illustrated as applied to apparatus for applying a shield 1 to a cable 2, the apparatus comprising feed rollers 3 and a rotary swaging device 4 for compressing the tubular shield 1 around the cable from the condition shown in FIG. 2 to that shown in FIG. 3 as "fully disclosed in the aforesaid application. As is well known the rotary swaging device 4 tends to rotate the cable about its axis.

According to the present invention this tendency is counteracted by two rollers 6 and 7 which pinch the cable shield 1 therebetween. The rollers are rotatably mounted on pins 8 and 9 which in turn are mounted on L-shaped supports 11 and 12. These supports are fast to shafts 13 and 14 which are pivotally mounted in the uprights 16 and 17 of a frame comprising a base 18 and a crosspiece 19. The rollers are yieldingly pressed against the cable by means of springs 21 and 22 which are fastened at their lower ends to the uprights 16 and 17. The tension of the springs may be adjusted by means of screws 23 and 24, the antitwisting action of the rollers 6 and 7 increasing with increase of spring tension.

On the lower sides of the juxtaposed ends of the L- shaped supports 11 and 12 are cam surfaces 26 and 27 facing in opposite directions. Disposed beneath these cam surfaces is a plunger 28 for camming the rollers from the horizontal position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 to the tilted position shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the supports being "Ice maintained in contact with the plunger by gravity. Threaded on the lower end of the plunger are two nuts 29 and 30, 29 for moving the plunger up and down and 30 for locking it in adjusted position. The plunger is prevented from rotating by means of a key 31 fitting in opposed slots in the plunger and the crosspiece 19.

In operation the plunger 28 is pivoted to the point where the rollers 6 and 7 are tipped just enough to counteract the tendency of the rotor 4 to rotate the cable about its axis. If the swaging die 4 rotates in a clockwise direction the rollers 6 and 7 are tipped in the direction to tend to rotate the cable in a counterclockwise direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 the rollers are tipped in the direction to tend to rotate the cable in a counterclockwise direction and the swaging die 4 rotates in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrows.

The aforesaid rollers 6 and 7 may be either feed or idler rollers, and they may be located either in advance of the swager or beyond the swager. When the rollers are driven the feed rolls 3 need not be used. When the rollers are idlers they are preferably located about midway between the feed rolls and swager. The peripheries of the rollers 6 and 7 may be hard or soft, or one may be hard and the other soft, depending on the kind of stock being processed. Suitable soft material is sponge or other rubber. When the stock comprises thin-walled tubing the peripheries should be soft. When using soft material the rollers may be located close to the swager. When the peripheries have little or no resiliency they should be located far enough away from the swag-er to permit the intermediate stretch of stock to twist somewhat.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, wire stock is intended to include solid stock of any size and material.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for continuously feeding wire or tube stock along a predetermined path and at one location along the path operating on the stock so as to produce a tendency to rotate it about its axis, a device for counteracting said tendency comprising rollers on opposite sides of said path for pinching the stock therebetween, the rollers being tangential to the stock but having their axes fixedly tipped in opposite directions relatively to the axis of said stock, said directions being chosen to cause said rollers to create a torque opposing said tendency to rotate.

2. In apparatus for continuously feeding wire or tube stock along a predetermined path and at one location along the path operating on the stock so as to produce a tendency to rotate it about its axis, a device for counteracting said tendency comprising rollers on opposite sides of said path for pinching the stock therebetween, the rollers being tangential to the stock, means for yieldingly pressing the rollers against opposite sides of the stock and having their axes substantially transverse the axis of said stock but somewhat skew so as to tend to rotate said stock in the direction opposite from that induced by the operating apparatus as said stock passes therebetween.

3. In apparatus for continuously feeding wire or tube stock along a predetermined path and at one location along the path operating on the stock so as to produce a tendency to rotate it about its axis, a device for counteracting said tendency comprising rollers on opposite sides of said path for pinching the stock therebetween, the rollers being tangential to the stock, and means for tipping the axes of the rollers equally but in opposite directions relatively to the axis of said stock, said directions being chosen to cause said rollers to create a torque opposing said tendency to rotate.

4. A device according to claim 3 further characterized in that said means comprises supports for the rollers pivoted to turn about an axis extending transverse the axis of said stock.

5. A device according to claim 4 further characterized by an actuator having movement transversely to the axis of said stock and means responsive to said movement for tipping the supports in opposite directions.

6. A device according to claim 5 further characterized in that the supports have cam surfaces bearing on opposite sides of said actuator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Krueisi Nov. 13, 1883 Hartness July 18, 1899 Steenstrup Oct. 29, 1929 Rolfs et al. Oct. 18, 1932 Bid-1e Apr. 21, 1936 Postlewaite July 28, 1936 Huston Sept. 20, 1938 Boyce Mar. 6, 1951 W-hitteriberg Dec. 25, 1956 

